University
of
North
Carolina
Wilmington
students@uncw
A Profile of UNCW Students and Student Life
Enrollment
Freshmen Students
Freshmen Orientation
Financial Aid
Academic Life
Student Housing
Student Involvement
Student Leadership and Service
Campus Recreation
Student Mental and Physical Health
Violence Prevention and Response
Student Use of Alcohol and Drugs
Conduct System
Careers and Employment
Division of Student Affairs
“Creating Experiences for Life”
November 2008
Dear Colleagues:
This is the second edition of this publication that has been developed to share information about our students
with the UNCW community. The Division of Student Affairs and Institutional Research collect a wealth of data
each year about our students and their involvements, but it is difficult to find avenues to share this information with the larger campus community. Therefore, we have produced this publication for UNCW faculty, staff
and administrators.
The data reported in this publication comes from individual departments within the Division of Student Affairs
as well as Institutional Research, Financial Aid, and International Programs. This publication is a summary
of a large number of assessments including user data from specific programs and services, participant
evaluations, and admissions and registration data.
Please let us know if you feel this publication is helpful in your work with students, as well as how it might
be improved. For additional information on any of the topics included in this report, please contact Dr. Nathan
Lindsay, Director of Student Life Assessment, at 962.7512, or e-mail him at lindsayn@uncw.edu.
UNCW faculty, staff and administrators all contribute to the success of our students, and we hope that this
publication will help all of us better serve our students and better understand “students @ uncw.”
Sincerely,
Patricia L. Leonard
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Enrollment, Fall 2008
Freshmen Students, Fall 2008
Total Undergraduates.............................. 10,989
Total Graduates......................................... 1,206
Total Head count . .................................. 12,195
Females ................................................. 58.4%
Out-Of-State Students . ........................... 14.5%
Transfer Students . .................................... 9.7%
Average Freshman SAT ............................. 1156
Average Freshman High School GPA ........... 3.74
UNCW was their first choice ....................... 70%
Reasons for choosing UNCW
Academic reputation ............................... 67%
Campus visit . ......................................... 60%
Social activities ....................................... 59%
Graduates get good jobs........................... 51%
Size of institution..................................... 48%
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Race/Ethnicity of Undergraduate Students
White Students........................................... 85%
African American Students .......................... 5%
Hispanic Students......................................... 3%
Asian/Pacific Islander Students...................... 2%
American Indian Students.............................. 1%
Race/Ethnicity Unknown................................ 4%
Sop
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Composition of Total Undergraduate Population
Jun
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Freshmen Orientation
Fall 2008
• 81% of students who attended orientation at
UNCW “strongly agreed” that they understand
that campus involvement is expected of them
• 77% “strongly agreed” that academics should be
their highest priority
• 81% “strongly agreed” that they understand the
university’s expectations for good citizenship
A Community Standards presentation was
conducted at Freshmen Orientation. Listed below
are the learning outcomes from the student survey
administered following this presentation.
• 90% of the participants said that they would
make more responsible choices
• 89% understand the importance of the UNCW
Honor Code
• 87% of the participants learned to be cautious
of the information that is posted on Visual
Social Networks
• 87% learned that UNCW has high standards
and expectations
• 78% learned that complying with Community
Standards in Wilmington means making good
behavioral choices when off campus
• 96% of the students learned the importance
of citing references and 92% of the students
learned about the severe penalties for violating
UNCW’s Honor Code
• 72% agree or strongly agree that attending the
Community Standards presentation at orientation
will impact their behavioral decision making
at UNCW
Financial Aid
• The estimated cost of attendance for an
undergraduate in-state student for 2008-09 is
$15,251 (tuition and fees is $4,527 of the total).
The estimated cost for an out-of-state student is
$25,418 (tuition and fees is $14,694 of total).
• A total of 3,888 UNCW students received some
type of financial aid in the 2007-08 academic
year. Awards totaled $75 million, of which $51
million were loans.
• In 2007-08, 207 students received Work-Study
employment funds. This includes those working
in America Reads, the federal program funding
college students to tutor elementary-level
children in reading and math.
• The average loan debt of UNCW graduates
is $17,000. The national average loan debt
of graduates is typically about 15% higher
than UNCW.
• In 2007-08, a total of $3,941,013 in
scholarships was awarded to 400 students.
The average athletic scholarship was $9,463,
whereas average grants and scholarships
for other students was $4,580.
• More than 250 veterans are enrolled in
coursework at UNCW, and approximately half
receive GI benefits.
Academic Life
Average GPA, Fall 2007
participated in more than 22,000 other
academic experiences that had an applied
learning component. These experiences included
a practicum, field studies, laboratory classes,
clinicals, a directed individual study and/or
service learning.
• In 2008-09, 516 students registered with
Disability Services seeking accommodations
for the following:
Learning Disabilities...................................29%
Attention Deficit Disorder ...........................35%
Psychological Disorders ............................. 7%
Mobility Impaired . ..................................... 8%
Sensory Impaired (visual and hearing) ........ 6%
Other Impairments .................................... 9%
• During 2007-08, the University Learning Center
served approximately 25% of UNCW’s total
population. Each of these students utilized one
of our services, on average, more than 4 times,
and this accumulated to a total of 13,958 sessions with the Tutoring and Learning Center for
the academic year. Of these sessions, 1,482
students received writing services, 545 students
received learning services, 948 students received
supplemental instruction and 904 students
received math services.
• Testing Services was approved as a Center for
the ACT assessment.
o GRE, PRAXIS-I, CLEP, MAT, HESI and ibt-TOEFL
are the most requested computer-based tests.
o Proctoring services for distance learning
courses continue to increase.
All students
2.94
On Campus
2.93
Off Campus
2.94
Student Housing
Honor Students
3.53
International Students
3.05
The average number of students housed on campus
during 2008-09 is 3,600, which represents 33.4%
of all undergraduates at UNCW.
• Of the fall 2006 freshman class, 84.5%
returned to UNCW for their sophomore year.
This retention rate compares to 83.2% in
2004 and 83.1% in 2005.
• During 2007-08, approximately 500 students
completed internships for credit, and nearly 400
completed study abroad experiences. Students
• 89% of Fall 2008’s entering freshmen (1,846 out
of 2,073) resided in on-campus housing
• 69.4% of on-campus students are 20 years of
age or younger
• 1:48 is the resident assistant to student ratio
Student Involvement
Student Leadership and Service
The Campus Activities and Involvement Center
sponsors nearly 200 programs a year which
attract approximately 40,000 participants from
the campus and external community.
The Center for Leadership Education and Service
provides leadership development programs, such
as Leadership UNCW and community service
programs such as American Red Cross Blood
Drives, Adopt-A-Family Thanksgiving program,
the annual Halloween Carnival for local children,
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and
Alternative Spring Break Service Trips.
• In a typical month, more than 2,500 students
use the Involvement Center, a resource area for
student organizations members and those seeking involvement opportunities.
• Approximately 3 out of 4 UNCW students are
involved with any of the 187 students organizations which are registered with the Campus
Activities and Involvement Center.
• Campus Life facilities booked, planned, and
supported 7,447 events during 2007-08.
This represents more than 33,700 hours of
programming for people from the campus
and external community.
• At UNCW, 955 students (9.6% of all women and
9.2% of all men) participate in fraternity and
sorority life. The 13 sororities and 13 fraternities
average approximately 15,000 combined hours
of community service each year.
• The Seahawk newspaper circulates 5,000 copies
weekly to more than 60 locations on campus and
throughout Wilmington and is also available online. The newspaper is funded primarily through
advertising sales revenue, the remainder is made
up by student fees.
• Atlantis, an annual publication of literature and
the arts, publishes three times a year. Atlantis
was the 2002 First Place winner from American
Scholastic Press Association’s review of more
than 2,000 student publications.
• Teal TV airs a news program, “Seahawk Central,”
twice a month.
• This year Student Media added a Sales and Marketing division, consisting of student staff serving
all student publications in Student Media with
advertising sales, underwriting sales, marketing
and event coordination.
• UNCW students logged more than 55,000
Community Service and Service-Learning
hours during the 2007-08 academic year.
• 2007 marked the 13th anniversary for the
Southeastern African American Student
Leadership Conference which began at
UNCW. More than 225 students attended
this conference from campuses across
the Southeast.
Campus Recreation
• The Student Recreation Center traffic counts
show an average of more than 8,000 entries
each week; 90% of these entries are students.
48% of UNCW students used the Recreation
Center in Fall 2007.
• The Sport Clubs Program currently has 24
active clubs and 558 participants.
• There were 17,369 participants in Intramurals
on 645 teams during 2007-08.
• The Discover Program, which includes the Challenge Course, trips, clinics, the climbing wall,
rentals and other special programs, registered
more than 5,000 participations in 2007-08.
Student Mental and Physical Health
Student Use of Alcohol and Drugs
• Counseling Center client contacts resulted in
more than 4,700 appointments during the
2007-08 school year. Approximately 7% of
UNCW students utilized the Counseling Center
during this period.
Many new students on college campuses have
experience using alcohol and other drugs. At UNCW,
67% of new students have tried alcohol before their
18th birthday, 49% have tried tobacco and 43% have
tried marijuana. Like most other campuses, alcohol is
the primary drug of abuse among students at UNCW.
• Preventive outreach programs generated
more than 5,000 contact hours within the
campus community. The most common
presenting concerns:
o depression
o stress/anxiety
o self confidence
• The Counseling Center was recently reaccredited
by the International Association of Counseling
Services and is one of only four accredited
campus centers in North Carolina
• Approximately 51% of the student population
utilizes the Student Health Center. More than
13,700 visits to the Center were documented
during 2007-08.
• The UNCW Pharmacy filled approximately 6,000
prescriptions during 2007-08.
• More than 12,200 people participated in a Health
Promotion program or event during 2007-08.
Violence Prevention and Response
• Sexual assault and relationship violence are the
most underreported crimes. Nationally, it is
estimated that 25% of women will be the victim
of an attempted or completed sexual assault
before she is 24 years old. Estimates of violence
in college dating relationships range from 25%
to 50%. In one study, 13% of college women
experienced stalking in a seven month period.
• In 2007-08, CARE provided 282 confidential
consultations around issues of relationship
violence, sexual assault, stalking, or harassment,
including 108 student contacts and 67 faculty
and staff contacts. Additionally, in 2007-08,
CARE provided 108 programs to UNCW and the
Wilmington community, in classes, to student
groups, for faculty and staff and to the general
UNCW or Wilmington community.
• 79% of students have used alcohol in the
last 12 months
• When questioned, 52% of students admit to
high-risk or binge drinking (defined as 5 or
more drinks in one sitting) within the previous
two weeks.
• Between 2005-07, high-risk or binge drinking
rates among UNCW students have been
reduced by 17%, suggesting UNCW’s innovative
prevention programs and dedication to policy
enforcement are having positive results.
• Marijuana is the most common illicit drug.
• 27% of UNCW students admit to having used
marijuana in the last 30 days
• Prescription drug abuse has emerged as the
next most common category of illicit drug abuse.
Drugs of concern include Adderall and Ritalin,
Xanax, and prescription painkillers like Oxycontin,
Percocet or Demerol.
• Between 20% and 34% of UNCW students have
used a prescription drug not prescribed to them
in the last 12 months.
• Only 30% of UNCW students have used tobacco
in the last month, including 8% daily smokers
and almost 20% who smoke occasionally or
smoke only when they drink. However, 58% of
the current smokers reported that they would
like to stop smoking now.
• The desire to quit smoking is the number one
walk-in issue in the CROSSROADS office. The
second most common reason is to ask how to
help a friend they worry is drinking too much.
CROSSROADS, UNCW’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Education
Program, offers confidential consultation to students, faculty,
parents and the community and delivers programs throughout the
year in classrooms, to student groups and to the UNCW campus
in general. Statistics from UNCW alcohol, tobacco and drug
surveys, 2004-08.
Conduct System
Where UNCW Undergraduates Are Now
• During the 2007-08 academic year, the Office
of the Dean of Students heard 1,012 conduct
cases. Conduct sanctions included: written
reprimand (484), disciplinary probation (208),
and suspension from the university (30).
UNCW graduates are surveyed approximately
five months after their graduation to identify
their first destination.
May 2001-December 2007 Data Summary
Employed
63.9%
Attending Grad School/
Professional School 9.7%
Seeking Employment
20.9%
Seeking Admission to
Grad School 4.8%
Other
4.0%
• Alleged possession/use of alcohol accounted
for 62% of all student conduct cases. Less
than 7% involved the possession/use of
marijuana or other drugs.
Careers and Employment
• Students met with career counselors for
more than 4,450 individual sessions during
the 2007-08 academic year. Of the students
who evaluated this service, more than 98%
agreed or strongly agreed with the statement
“My counselor helped me meet my career or
job search needs.”
• Last year, the Career Center presented more
than 350 career programs in classes and
student organization meetings and sponsored
22 major career events. These outreach
efforts resulted in more than 15,000 student
contacts throughout the year.
• Virtual career services continue to be very
popular with UNCW students, with the
Career Center Web site receiving more than
1.5 million hits in 2007-08. Undergraduate
UNCW students work in more than 775
part-time positions on campus each month.
Graduate students fill another 250 campus
positions.
• Each month approximately 600 internships
and jobs are posted for students in UNCW’s
online job listing program, SeaWork. Within
SeaWork, students also can access more
than 1,500 job and internship listings each
month in MonsterTrak, the college version of
Monster.com. UNCW students participate in a
large number of applied learning experiences
each year for academic credit.
(percentages reflect some multiple responses.)
UNCW Division of Student Affairs
List of Departments
Abrons Student Health Center
Campus Activities & Involvement
Campus Life
Campus Recreation
Career Center
Center for Leadership
Education & Service
Counseling Center
Crossroads-CARE
Disability Services
Housing & Residence Life
Office of the Dean of Students
Student Life Assessment
Student Media Services
Transition Programs
UNCW Presents
University Learning Center
University Testing Services
Student Employees
Total Employees
Work Assist 907
Work Study
27
Graduate Assistants 25
Total 959
Professional 96
Administrative 43
Total 139
Division Budget
Fees 88%
State 12%
Total 100%
Facilities
Student Recreation Center
Fisher University Union
Fisher Student Center
Warwick Center
Burney Center
Westside Hall
Housing & Residence Life
Honors House
International House
Galloway Hall
Belk Hall
Hewlett Hall
Graham Hall
Schwartz Hall
Apts. A-M
Suites O-U
Seahawk Landing
Seahawk Village
Housing & Residence
Life Office
For additional information on
any of the topics included
in this report, please contact the
Office of Student Life Assessment,
910-962-7512
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Division of Student Affairs
“Creating Experiences for Life”